Page 44 - The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand Vol.XIII-2021

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XIII – 2021

Boddhisattvas are still in situ, and others are to be found in the nearby
museum. The broad expanse of the old “campus” is today a smooth lawn,

dotted with bright flowering trees and watered by a half-hearted sprinkling
system, but one can easily imagine the intellectual and spiritual vitality that
5
abounded there as recently as eight or nine hundred years ago.
In this section I intend to provide a brief sketch as to how the energies that

existed at Nalanda University many centuries ago could be brought back and
modified in order to provide a guiding light for future development in knowledge
production and technological innovation in Thailand. This attempt perhaps looks

at first sight a strange one, because Nalanda was after all a religious institution.
Those who studied there were all Buddhist monks aiming at achieving the ultimate
salvation, a tradition which is still alive in Tibetan monasteries all over the world.
How could such a religious institution provide an impetus for scientific and
technological development? What I will try to show, however, is that such an

impetus is indeed possible given that Nalanda was not only a center for studies
and practices of Buddhism, was a “university” in the real sense of the word, i.e., a
place where knowledge was produced and transmitted to the younger generations.

In other words, the mixture of traditional learning and the commitment to strive
forward in a positive and integral manner is perhaps a striking characteristic of
Nalanda university, something that Thai universities and research institutions
could well learn from.

In fact, it is being increasingly recognized that the teachings of Mahāyāna

Buddhism, which were the core of Nalanda, can provide insights which lead to
much further developments in science and also in technology. More specifically,
the teaching on “Emptiness” (Śūnyatā) could be adapted and interpreted so as to
6
create breakthroughs in how science is conducted. However, in this paper I aim
rather at pointing out ways in which the dynamism existed at Nalanda as well as
the main teaching on Emptiness could be brought to bear on science and technology

5 Margaret Wiley Marshall, 1961. “Bihar Universities--New and Old,” in: The Journal of Higher Education
32.9 (December 1961): 503-506, pp. 505-506.
6 See, for example, B. Alan Wallace (ed.), 2003. Buddhism and Science. New York, NY: Columbia University
Press.

A Reflection on Nalanda Monastery as an Inspiration for Promoting Scientific and Technological Capabilities in
34 Thailand